Miriam Rose

July 23, 2012 we headed to the hospital for an early morning induction.  Nervous, unsure what to expect, and so ready to meet our little one.

In the Labor and Delivery elevator, on our way!

They started us on "gels" to get my contractions going and we did 4 hours of alternating laying in bed and walking the hospital.  We got very familiar with the halls of Flagstaff Medical Center as the contractions became more and more intense.  I was still breathing through them well up through 5 cm.  The contractions started to stall and they decided to move us up to an IV of pitocin.  Things started moving more quickly and getting much more intense from that point.  I set a goal to birth without pain medications, and I was able to see that through to the end.  After another couple of hours, 5 more centimeters, and about 45 minutes of pushing Miriam Rose was born.  She came into the world at 11:31pm July 23, 2012 and was 7lb 14oz, 19 3/4 inches.  Daddy got to cut her umbilical cord and mommy got to hold her close.  She cried at first, but then shot open her eyes and took it all in.  I'll never forget staring into her eyes while she grasped my finger with her tiny fist.

Her first picture, getting weighed and cleaned up.

First cuddle with daddy

A few hours old

Napping Champion

Recovering with Mommy

I lost a lot of blood after her birth and I am so thankful for the wonderful nurses and our OB.  I felt that I was  in such steady hands and honestly didn't even know something was wrong until it was over.  The first week was a tough recovery for me; I was really weak and struggled to do much of anything on my own.  Jason was a rock as always, and didn't leave my or Miriam's side for days. Those first days at home were a bit of a blur, but we soaked in every moment, movement, and change in our little girl.  Already we could see she was determined, strong, and very sweet. She does not like having her diaper changed (how embarrassing mama!), gas, or poopy diapers, but rarely cries and lets us console her quickly.  She loves eating, sleeping, and cuddling with mommy and daddy.  She grows by the second and I am in awe of her tiny, beautiful self.

Heading Home!

In the recliner with daddy

Hello world!  She wore her fancy shirt to meet Grandma and Grandpa Hemmer on Skype!

Wide eyed and curious.  From the moment she was born she has been wide eyed when she's awake.  

We'll pretend it's a "real" smile :)

Yawn!

Oooooh!

Catching flies!

I kiss this face all day long

Jason and his baby girl

Taking our first walk. AKA mama and baby venture outside for the first time

Grandma and Grandpa Bailey are here to visit for 10 days.  It was a joy to watch them meet her for the first time. We have all waited so long for our baby girl.  Grandma takes care of us all and it is so nice to have extra hands around the house.  It's honestly the only reason I've found a few moments to write here.  I'm already dreading their return home at the end of the week, but Miriam, Jason and I will soak up all their presence while we can.

Meeting Grandma

Meeting Grandpa

Madeline looking on

Tomorrow Miriam will be 2 weeks old.  It is so cliche, but honestly true that time really goes by too quickly.

We are so thankful for all the gifts, flowers, food and well wishes that have flooded our front door, inbox, and facebook pages.  So many of you who read this blog are far from us, but we have felt your presence and love so much.

40 weeks + 2

You are in luck!  Jason snapped a picture when I had myself looking respectable for a few minutes this morning.  We went out for breakfast and some errands; I felt if I stayed in the house for 1 minute longer I was going to scream.  Waiting for baby to make his / her grand entrance is certainly testing my patience.  You can also see the crib in the background -- ready and waiting!

No signs of progress this weekend and induction is scheduled for 7:30 AM Monday.  All the waiting is agony, but knowing there is a deadline helps.  Knowing we'll get to see our little one Monday (or Tuesday if they are exceptionally slow!) is a great relief.

I tried to pass the time this week by making homemade sugar free jam.  I used liquid stevia and it turned out decent.  A little thin to be classic jam, but tasty.  If you heat it up in the microwave it's yummy on pancakes too.  This was the recipe I used and I would definitely try it again, but with less sweetener. 

Also, a cute picture of Maddie snuggled up with me to nap today....gotta love that cat.

Almost there...

...and baby cannot get here quick enough for me! I've been putting off a new post because I wanted to include a picture, but I'm not sure I want an internet record of these final days so you'll have to just imagine how huge I am! 

Last week Tuesday was my last day of work and it was really good timing.  Very bittersweet day clearing out my office (3 years of office clutter is quite a lot) and saying goodbye to my teammates and co-workers, but I am so thankful that I just have to rest and relax everyday in preparation for labor.  I've done a few things around the house and frozen some meals for our first week with baby, but also taken a nap everyday and gotten plenty of rest.  Daily yoga and meditation are keeping me calm and focused.

I feel like we are getting closer everyday - irregular contractions, a lot of pressure, nausea and back pain - hoping it speeds up soon and baby H comes early.  The sooner I can get that baby in my hands and have the ability to bend over again, the better!

For the record, Jason is a wonderful partner in this journey.  As we speak he's cooking me a delicious dinner and has taken over the heavy lifting, bending, and a lot of cleaning.  I'm so thankful for him!

My 39 week update is tomorrow so I'm hoping for some good news that we are getting closer to D-Day.  Once baby does get here we'll send some text messages and update Facebook for sure.  Blog posting will probably come later with lots more pictures and details!

The B.O.B. and The B.U.M.P.

Jason with The B.O.B., our super fancy stroller that we are so excited about!  This puppy can go off road and jogging...watch out! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Bailey:)

The "bump" at about 34 weeks last weekend.  Judging by the incredible amount of food I've been eating I'm sure I've at least doubled since - haha.

Things & Stuff & More Things...

Anyone ever notice how many "things" come with babies?  It's quite fascinating how such a small being can necessitate so many things...and stuff...and more things.  Jason and I are determined to take a minimalist approach to this whole baby / kid thing, but even we had quite a few essential items to gather and put together.  Thanks to the generosity of a lot of wonderful friends and family, we have most of our baby equipment, but spent needed to put them together and get things installed.  Now that I'm closing in on about 33 1/2 weeks I'm feeling the need to get things in order just in case our little one decides to make an early entrance.
We spent most of our Memorial Day weekend building, reading directions and organizing. The picture on the front of the blog is with our car seat, all ready to go in the Subaru..  Jason's car has a base too and we also got the stroller base to snap the infant seat in case they are sleeping and we want to walk around. 

One of my absolute favorite baby items, the Snugabunny Bouncer.  You'll notice the "baby" aka a rag doll I had when I was little serving as our guinea pig.  It was actually really helpful to practice strapping the baby in to this and the car seat.

I also washed all the baby clothes, towels, sheets we had and got the baby room a little more organized.  We are waiting on a Peter Rabbit picture to get back from framing that my parents sent us to get the room finished out.  I'll post pictures once it's totally ready to go.

Just today Jason put together the Pack N Play Bassinet the baby will use to sleep in our room for a few months.  I don't have a picture, but we wanted to set it up so Maddie can get used to it.  She spends most nights in our room so we'd like her to get used to it and make sure she doesn't think it's a new cat bed!

I'm pretty sure this is a gift more for Jason and Maddie (and myself and baby when those 2 aren't around!).   I was really suspect on recliners because they are usually not quite my style and too large for our small house, but Lazy Boy makes some more modern styles, and we love this one!  How have I lived without a recliner until this day?

This weekend was Hullabaloo, a local music / food / beer festival downtown in Wheeler Park.  It's very quirky with costumes and Flagstaff's finest eclectic crowds.  We spent the afternoon there with some friends.  It is pretty warm in Flagstaff right now, so I set up camp  under a tree on a picnic blanket. 
Jason, Baby H, and I.  No hiding that belly!

With my friend Sonia:

Jason, Sonia, and Paul:

Yesterday we also toured the Flagstaff Medical Center's Women & Infant Center.  It was really nice, big rooms, very calm atmosphere.  We feel more comfortable having seen where we'll be going once labor kicks in. Just for fun, here is a picture of Maddie and I watching TV.  Maddie loves her bed!

Lastly, some of my long time blog readers will notice the playlist is gone.  Apparently the website I used to embed the playlist has stopped allowing you to embed in other websites, so no more music!  I'll keep looking for a new options to pick it back up, but you'll just have to play your own music for awhile.

Baby Shower!

Last weekend my friend Dorlee hosted a baby shower for us.  My mom was in town and I'm so glad she was able to join us.  I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked because we were too busy visiting.  It was a really nice afternoon, and I feel so much gratitude for the generosity, thoughtfulness, and care of my family and friends.  We even had a few gifts from friends in S.C. and family in England - what a special surprise!

Here I am with the wonderful group of ladies:

Thank you to my dear friend Dorlee for hosting the shower.  Although I don't have my family with me in Flagstaff, I have some really top-notch dear, dear friends that I am so thankful for.  This baby will surely always feel surrounded by love and community.

Luckily my mom was around to help me start to organize the influx of baby things.  We've got some things to put together this weekend, clothes to wash and ready, and I need to finish a couple sewing projects to finish up the baby's room.  We are even thinking of trying to put together the car seat this weekend and take it for a spin! So looking forward to the long Memorial Day weekend to relax, sleep, and continue getting things ready for Baby H.

31 Weeks

This is baby and me at the Grand Canyon a couple of weeks ago.  It was rather warm and we took numerous breaks, but it was nice to get some fresh mountain air!

I will be 31 weeks tomorrow and feeling every week of it.  I find myself at work in a cycle of sit, walk, stretch to keep my back and hips comfortable.  I've been walking everyday and yoga twice a week, but it's getting harder and harder to avoid those pesky back aches.  I'm carrying baby on my front and my back is bowing like a lovely letter "C"!  I hit a few bumps with some elevated blood sugar levels, but I'm on a strict diet from here on out to keep it under control.  I have a follow up blood draw next week to make sure it's helping; wish me luck!

This week my co workers threw me a surprise baby shower; I truly was surprised (and I'm not an easy person to surprise).  They had a great breakfast and gifts, and it was all organized by my team, which meant so much to me.  They even tried to have Jason there, but unfortunately he was in Orlando for the past two days.  I told them at work last week that I wouldn't be returning when the baby was born, and while I am looking forward to this transition and change, I am going to miss the wonderful people I supervise and have the opportunity to work with everyday.  Baby and I will be making lots of trips to campus for walks and lunches. 

My lovely team!

My parents are coming for a quick visit this weekend and my baby shower is this weekend!  I am really looking forward to the shower, and so happy my mom will get to be there to celebrate. 

Nesting is in full force around here.  We bought some more items at Target, got the car windows tinted (Arizona sun is a bit intense for tiny babies!), bought a glider / recliner that should be here soon, and lovely gifts from our registry keep flowing in.  We are enjoying getting things ready, feeling more prepared for when baby decides to make their grand entrance.